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Retrofitting BMW ellipsoid headlight with the stripes on the glas?

May 1st, 2017, 06:58 AM

I'm looking for some e30/e32/e34 headlights for my datsun and I'm gonna retrofit them with some mini h1's I think. But I'm having a hard time finding those headlights with the clear patch in front of the projector lens at wreckers, seems most old BMW's sold here have the ellipsoid headlights with the stripes in front of the lens, will this have a negative effect on the output or cause glare?

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The ribs on that lens you pictured are mostly vertical. That has the effect of spreading out the beam pattern side-wise. It will likely affect the colorband, if that matters to you. But more importantly, the hotspot intensity might go down a little. Maybe pair that with an old e46, which has a strong hotspot to make up for it.

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I see, same problem as when I tried to retro a 300zx then, whenever I put the headlight lens on the colorband would go dull... I'm gonna need to use the mini h1 projectors so that I can put a halogen bulb in it for the periodic vehicle controls and/or if I get pulled over by the department of roads and vehicles. Retros and hid kits are illegal here 😉

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I see, same problem as when I tried to retro a 300zx then, whenever I put the headlight lens on the colorband would go dull... I'm gonna need to use the mini h1 projectors so that I can put a halogen bulb in it for the periodic vehicle controls and/or if I get pulled over by the department of roads and vehicles. Retros and hid kits are illegal here

If the rear part of that BMW housing is needed (say, because of the position of the alignment adjusters), then how about finding a generic headlight housing that has a compatible clear front glass (or plastic) lens that can be transplanted to?

Comment

For fitment in a Datsun you cut of plastic alignment tabs on the Beemer light and enlarge the hole on the Datsun headlight bracket so projectors fit and then use the Datsun headlight retainer ring to hold them in place(the chrome ring around the headlight).

I've seen the lenses with the clear circle for sale on eBay so there's the option of swapping lenses if I can't get the correct ones to start with

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If you end up cutting the plastic alignment tabs, then isn't it any different from a generic round 4" light? In that case, you're better off finding a new round 4" with clear plastic lens. Then, you don't have to deal with the fresnel / ribs on the glass lens that will reshape the beam.

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Because I don't like the look of those "crystal" headlights on old cars, which is why I want the BMW lights because they still look old but will outperform what was on it originally, and also if it's retroed you have modern lighting performance but with an old school look when off or parked

Sent fra min HUAWEI VNS-L31 via Tapatalk

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What about getting the "shroud" of older BMWs that is essentially a fresnel disk with a hole in the center? Even if the opening is smaller than the lens of your projector of choice, the bulk of the beam won't be affected by the fresnel lens.

I say this because I recall a retrofit thread where someone preserved that disk in their retrofit. So, from the outside, it doesn't look like a projector has been retrofitted into a reflector housing.

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Do you mean taking just the BMW headlight lens or "shroud" as you're saying and fit that to my current headlight and then just retro a projector in it? That could work. Probably be cheaper too than buying a complete BMW headlight assembly

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Perhaps I should add a caveat to my suggestion. If your goal is to get something as easily as possible, then I retain my suggestion. But if you want to experiment, there are more interesting and labor intensive ways to achieve this. One way would be to make your own custom panel that appears like the fresnel patterned glass with the round opening. You could make it out of an array of acrylic tubes placed side by side and heat fused together.